® TourArmenia Travel Guide century the area was controlled by the Note about pronunciation: we transcribe words Highlights Kamsarakans, with their royal palace believed to SHIRAK Marz using local dialect, and substitute “i” for “y” as in be found at Beniamin. They were practically Giumri for Gyumri. “p.” stands for poghots • Stay in Giumri and savor its Belle ÞÇñ³Ï Ù³ñ½ wiped out when they led a rebellion against the (street), ‘pts.’ For poghotsner (streets), ‘pta.’ for Époque center, brisk mountain air and Arshakuni kings. Later the area had become the poghota (avenue). its joie de vivre lifestyle (on page 6) property and patronage of the Bagratuni family, th th By Rick Ney Note: GPS coordinates are in decimal degrees • Take a walking tour of Old Giumri the founders of the Second Kingdom (9 -13 Maps by Rafael Torossian (DD) Latitude x Longitude. Elevation (elev.) is in (Alexandropol), the largest collection centuries), anchored in the fabled city of Ani, just Edited by Bella Karapetian meters. Population counts (pop.) are estimates of 19th c. historic houses in Armenia over the Turkish border near Kharkov in for 7 km radius from place and due to ongoing (on page 6) southeastern Shirak. Many Churches and There are 3 parts to the Shirak/Giumri Guide, migrations the numbers are not exact. monasteries from this period dot the landscape, each is a separate PDF: • Visit Marmashen, the monastery of the following the spice trail to Ani and beyond. 1. Shirak Region (Separate PDF) Pahlavuni princes, with its nearby th 2. Giumri (This File) INTRODUCTION ancient burial ground and 7 c BCE The capital of the region is Giumri, which is also 3. Giumri Walking Tours (Separate PDF) Shirak is a land of contrasts. In northwest Urartu King Argishti stone inscription. Armenia’s second city and location of the largest Armenia, it is as much semi-desert as it is TABLE OF CONTENTS (on page 6) collection of intact historic buildings in the mountain meadow or high alpine. In the south, th Caucasus, over 1000 buildings from the 18 and • Visit the mountain monasteries at Artik INTRODUCTION (p. 1) the high steppes crash into mountain terrain, 19th centuries, hallmarks of the “Armenian Belle (on page 10) and Pemzashen (on page DO (p. 1) verdant green in the spring, hues of reddish Époque”. 12), featuring Lmbatavank, WHEN? (p. 1) brown in the summer. Everywhere is the snow capped Aragats and dots of green in the Markaravank and the incredible landscape, spring fed villages and farms giving Harichavank. DO: NATURE (p. 2) sustenance to the wayward traveler. In the north Explore Giumri’s Old Center with one of our th th lies Armenia’s Alpine Region, a mountain meadow • Climb the western face of Aragats to walking tours. Visit the 9 -13 cc Marmashen HISTORY (p. 2) covered with wildflowers from April through July, Mantash Lake, with its pristine arctic Monastery nested in the Akhurian Valley. Explore Prehistoric Age with rolling hills punctuated by rugged peaks and waters, camping and fishing. While the monasteries and Bronze Age fortresses Copper and Bronze Ages the Georgian frontier. In the East are the foot there visit the nearby Mets Mantash around Artik: Sarnaghpiur, Markaravank, Kumaiyri – Urartian, Roman eras hills of Aragats and Mt. Urasar leading to Lori’s Vank and settlement, hallmarks of the Lernakert & Harich. Find a guide to take you to Early Christian Era – Middle Ages forest land. Medieval period on Mt. Aragats. (on the border and gaze on the fabled city of Ani. Empire City page 12) Explore Armenia’s Alpine country at Arpi Lich, The Armenian Belle Époque The region is anchored by the Akhurian river visiting one of the idyllic villages on the flower- Genocide & First Republic • Explore the archeological sites of the valley, an agricultural oasis that provided laden slopes around the lake. Eat at one of The Soviet Period Arshakuni and Kamsarakan family sustenance to millennia of civilizations, starting rd Giumri’s great restaurants; drink in the Poloz Earthquake and Second Republic seats at Beniamin (on page 9), the 3 from Paleolithic settlements found in the Giumri Mukuch tavern in Giumri. Go up to Georgia, Shirak Now m. BCE excavation at Horom (on page region through each epoch of Armenia’s growth. cross over into Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe. 9), the Hellenistic finds at Shirakavan, IN AND OUT (p. 5) Dairy products are among the most prized of (on page 14), OVERNIGHT / EAT (5) Shirak’s exports, and the season—though short WHEN? due to Shirak’s high altitude, produce some of • Make your way to the border by DESTINATIONS (p. en page 5) Shirak is the coldest region of Armenia. Average Armenia’s best fruits and vegetables (though that Kharkov, and gaze on Ani, the amazing altitude at 2100 meters in the Alpine area. NATURE TOURING legendary Shirak tomato, like the elusive big one Medieval city of 1000 churches and Nature-Adventure Tour Operators Summers are wonderful; the air is clean, days that got away, grows more succulent and pride of the Bagratuni kings (on page are warm, the nights are cool. Early autumn will Archeological Tours delicious with each telling, and I have yet to see 15) remind one of those in New England, forests in nary a one.) upper Shirak change colors and warm afternoons GIUMRI (separate PDF) • Visit the 4th c basilica at Yereruik, one fade into crisp cool nights. Winters are harsh and of he earliest samples of its kind (on The ancient history of Shirak is like that of its cold, wonderful for the cross-country skier or the NEAR GIUMRI (p. 7) page 19) cousin the Ararat Valley, steeped in legend to winter hiker, but otherwise a time when the Marmashen some, but found by archeologists to have been • Visit “Armenia’s Siberia” and the high region turns in on itself, cozying up to a warm inhabited 250,000 years ago, with settlements alpine villages around Arpi Lich, one of fire and long nights of imbibing and visits from EXPLORING THE REGION (p. 10) popping up along the Akhurian Valley beginning the migratory trails for Eurasia’s Birds friends and family. Spring is slow to come, TRIP 1: ARTIK (p. 10) around 9000 BCE. Agriculturally based, the (on page 21) erupting in April with wild flowers that blanket the TRIP 2: MARALIK : ANI (p. 17) region has few of the metallurgical centers found TRIP 3: AMASSIA (p. 24) hillsides and continue their march up the South, but still had sophisticated settlements • Visit Minas Avetisian’s home museum TRIP 4: ASHOTSK, GEORGIA (p. 27) mountains until the mid August, when the snows during the Bronze and Iron Ages. at Jajur, with its unique collection of TRIP 5: AKHURIAN, KARNUT (p. 31) begin to fall. expressionistic art (on page 23) RESOURCES (p. 33) The medieval history of the region is intertwined SHIRAK MAP (p. 35) with the fates of two ruling families, the • Pay your respects to Sisak, Misak and th ANI MAP (p. 39) Kamsarakans and the Bagratunis. Up to the 4 Apetnak at the 4000 BCE grave site in Tsoghamarg (on page 24) Shirak Marz: page 1 of 40 - TourArmenia © 2007 Rick Ney ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - www.TACentral.com ® TourArmenia Travel Guide HOW LONG? relies mainly on irrigation and springs to cultivate Warblers, Buntings, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Alpine south. Officially “founded” 2,500 years ago, agriculture. Swift, swallows, Dunnock, Black Redstart, White- when Assyrians referred to the city by its first For the casual traveler, Shirak is an easy winged Redstart, Golden Eagle, Imperial Eagle, known name Akhurian, their history is actually overnight trip from Yerevan, letting you visit the The rock formations and scrub land vegetation Booted Eagle, Lammergeier, Eurasian Black much older; early settlements are over 5000 Monasteries & Bronze Age monuments at Artik that makeup the bulk of southern Shirak are Vulture, Eurasian Griffon. years old. and Maralik on the way up, a walking tour of the unique Eco-systems, filled with desert wildlife, old center and perhaps Marmashen and return to and the bulk of migrating steppe birds in the Woodland birds include the Sparrow hawk, PREHISTORIC AGE Yerevan via the Akhurian reservoir, Jrapi and Spring and fall. Northern Goshawk, Black Francolin, Eurasian Archeologists have found evidence of human Anipemza the next day. Add more days to fully Woodcock, European Turtle-Dove, Common activity in the Southern Caucasus as early as 1.7 explore the Old city and savor its culture (1-2 Flowers Cuckoo, Eurasian Scops-Owl, Tawny Owl, Wood million BCE with widespread settlement area days), Ani (1 day pre-arranged), the Alpine Northern Shirak flora include Iris lineolata, I. Lark, Red-throated Pipit, warblers, Thrush, Tits, going back to around 5000-250,000 BCE. region (1 day), the North to Georgia (1 day) and Caucasica, Merendera mirzoeval, Colchicum Buntings, Finch, Starlings, Eurasian Jay, Rook, Geological and paleontology evidence show that the area around Giumri (1 day). We explore Szoritsii, Gagea ssp., Puschkinia scilloides, Draba Long-eared Owl, Eurasian Wryneck, Flycatchers, the Armenian Highlands have been densely some day trips from Giumri below, which can be ssp., Lallemautia caneseeus, Ranunculus ssp., Warblers, Eurasian Tree-Creeper, inhabited from the time the arranged to suit your travel route. Myosotis alpestris, Pedicularis ssp., Trifolium ssp., Finches, Boreal Owl, etc. Tigris and Euphrates rivers Gladiolus kotschyanus, Silene ssp. began flowing into the Persian Hitting the Highlights Giumri, Marmrashen, Mountain meadows to Alpine Gulf, during the interglacial eras. (1-2 days). North: Lernantsk Pass, Tsoghamarg, Lower Elevation sagebrush steppe flora include Caucasian Grouse, Grey Ghazanchi, Dzorashen, Border, Arpi Lich (1 day). includes Gladiolus atroviolaceus, Nigella Partridge, Common Quail, Likewise, inhabitants on the West Shirak Akhurian River, Gusanagiugh, Jrapi oxypetala, Actynolema macrolema, Gundelia Eurasian Skylark, Tree Pipit, upper plateaus and mountains of Haikadzor, Kharkov tournefort, Verbascum saccatum, Lallemanita Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, modern-day Armenia are traced (Ani), Yereuik (1 iberica, Roemeria retracta, Scabiosa argentea, Whinchat, Radde's Accentor, Ring to the same time, as the day).